Legacy[edit]

Achievements[edit]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Coldplay
Coldplay are considered the most successful band of the 21st century.[329] With over 100 million
albums sold globally, they are one of the best-selling artists of all time.[b] Parachutes, A Rush of
Blood to the Head and X&Y all rank amongst the best-selling albums of United Kingdom's
history,[330] the latter was the third fastest selling record ever in the country upon release.[331] In 2008,
"Viva la Vida" became the first song by a British group to top Billboard Hot 100 since "Wannabe" by
the Spice Girls in 1997.[332] The track was praised as one of the best songs of the decade by Rolling
Stone and BBC America as well.[333][334] Its parent album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends,
was the best-selling of the decade in the digital download format.[335] In 2013, Coldplay were named
the most influential British celebrities in the world by Forbes.[336] They would then perform at
the Super Bowl 50 halftime show in 2016, earning the biggest audience in history for a group and
male act.[337] The event also helped them to become the year's most googled band.[338] In 2017, they
finished the A Head Full of Dreams Tour, which is currently the sixth-highest-grossing tour of all
time.[339] During 2021, Coldplay headlined the Glastonbury Festival for a record-extending fifth
time,[340] and became the first British group ever to debut at number-one on Billboard Hot 100 with
"My Universe".[341]
The band have won numerous awards throughout their career as well, including nine Brit Awards,
being the most awarded and nominated group of all time in the ceremony.[342] They are the first act in
history to win British Album of the Year three times and British Group four times,[343] scoring the most
nominations for both of these categories. Coldplay have also won seven Grammy Awards from 36
nominations, receiving Song of the Year and Record of the Year once, while being nominated
for Album of the Year twice.[344] In 2009, they received a NRJ Award of Honour for their career
accomplishments and impact on the music industry.[345] Their song "Atlas", released as part of The
Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack in 2013,[346] was nominated at the 19th Critics' Choice
Awards and shortlisted for the 87th Academy Awards.[347] The members of the band were named
Songwriters of the Year by the Ivor Novello Awards and ASCAP London Music Awards in 2003 and
2010 respectively as well.[348][349] In 2016, Coldplay were honoured with a Godlike Genius Award from
the NME Awards, which recognize "careers of music icons who have been pioneers in the
industry".[350] They have won seven Billboard Music Awards, two silver prizes at the Cannes Lions
International Festival of Creativity and one American Music Award, being ranked as the sixth most
awarded group of all time by Fuse as of 2014.[351]

Impact[edit]
According to Forbes, Coldplay have become the standard for the current alternative scene and
"through consistent performing and adventuresome work, they continue to grow into one of the finest
live bands in all of music".[352] 2002's A Rush of Blood to the Head was one of the albums chosen by
the Royal Mail for a set of postage stamps celebrating classic British records from the last 40
years,[353] being also ranked among the best releases of all time by the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame,[354] NME,[355] and Rolling Stone.[356] The latter publication named "The Scientist" as the 50th-
best song of the 21st century,[357] while placing "Clocks" and "Fix You" at number 490 and 392
respectively on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[358] In the Recording Academy's
20th anniversary review of Parachutes (2000), Jon O'Brien labeled it as the band's most influential
album to date, impacting the work of artists such as the Fray, Snow Patrol and OneRepublic.[359] He
further noted "Coldplay, and to a lesser extent Travis, helped to open the floodgates for those who
didn't subscribe to the Rock N' Roll Star way of thinking". Meanwhile, their breakthrough single
"Yellow" is considered one of the best tracks of the 2000s decade by Pitchfork and was included in
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" exhibition for being one of the
most successful and important recordings in music.[360] When discussing key events in the history of
rock, The Guardian mentioned the band set the direction of mainstream rock for years to come by
releasing the song and "ushered in a fresh timbre of songwriting: yearning melancholy, buoyed by a
sense of uplift".[361] In 2011, VH1 ranked them as one of the greatest musical acts in history,[362] while
ten years later they were in Parade's "100 Best Rock Bands of All Time" list as the newest group
inside the Top 50.[363]
Coldplay are also regarded as one of the most influential bands of the 21st century,[364] inspiring the
work of artists like Ed Sheeran,[365] Harry Styles,[366] Dua Lipa,[367] BTS,[368] Imagine
Dragons,[369] Halsey,[370] The Killers,[371] Bruno Mars,[372] Justin Timberlake,[373] Kanye West,[374] Finneas
O'Connel,[375] Jacob Collier,[376] Future,[377] David Guetta,[378] Jon Bellion,[379] Twenty One
Pilots,[380] Mumford & Sons,[381] Leona Lewis,[382] Alessia Cara,[383] The
Chainsmokers,[384] Lauv,[385] Shawn Mendes,[386] Mike Will Made-It,[387] H.E.R.,[388] American
Authors,[389] The Script,[390] Morat,[391] Alok,[392] Travis Scott,[393] Sheppard,[394] Ian Sweet,[395] John
Mayer,[396] Sigrid,[397] J Balvin,[398] Brandy,[399] Maren Morris,[400] Rammstein,[401] Swedish House
Mafia,[402] and more.[403] Their songs have been widely sampled by other
musicians,[321] including Drake,[404] Frank Ocean[405] and Chance the Rapper,[406] being also covered by
acts such as Lady Gaga,[407] Sam Smith,[408] Kacey Musgraves,[409] and more.[410] According to U2 lead
vocalist Bono, Coldplay were among the major influences for Songs of Innocence (2014).[411] Music
arranger Mattias Bylund explained that he made "Coldplay-type rhythm chords" for Taylor Swift's
"Wildest Dreams".[412] Xylobands creator Jason Regler stated that he conceived the idea for the
flashing wristbands while in one of the band's concerts.[413] Artists like Jay-Z and Swift have followed
the trend and incorporated their own versions of the product on live performances.[304] South Korean
music director Lee Ji-soo commented "Life in Technicolor II" was one of the inspirations for the
soundtrack of In Our Prime (2022).[414] The British Phonographic Industry have also reported that
Coldplay are one of the acts that most helped to boost British music exports across the world, with
2016 and 2020 being their years of most notable contribution.[415]